JO - Where are the humans?

From my archive of press clippings:

Jamaica Observer

Where are the humans?

Mervin Stoddart

Wednesday, March 10, 2010


A Christmas Day 2009 incident in which a suspected terrorist allegedly tried to blow up a plane just before it landed in Detroit led to so-called increased security at airports and aboard aeroplanes, especially those flying to and from the United States. Measures include more searches of passengers, less carry-on luggage, and passengers not allowed to leave their seats, even to use the restroom, during the final 60 minutes of flight. One British news agency called the new situation "flying jails". That designation seems euphemistic, because in reality since 9/11 international travel has become a puppet show of harassment by government-controlled workers - only those being manipulated are not stickmen, but people.

Read the whole column here.

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INMerv@hotmail.com

WT - MOWBRAY: It's the visas, stupid. State Department can't treat travel to U.S. like a civil right.

From my archive of press clippings:

Washington Times


MOWBRAY: It's the visas, stupid


State Department can't treat travel to U.S. like a civil right


By Joel Mowbray

Monday, January 11, 2010

Tucked away in a single paragraph near the end of the declassified preliminary report on the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack is the key fact glossed over by most in media and the government: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had a valid visa when he boarded his Detroit-bound flight.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"(T)he State Department has barely budged its default position that visas are to be issued unless they have a clear reason to deny applications."

"This suicidally legalistic approach does not owe to President Obama or previous political leadership, but rather to the long-held institutional mindset of the State Department. Using a questionable legal interpretation, State's position has been that a visa must be issued to qualified applicants, with denials only possible with specific, credible proof that someone can be deemed a security threat.

But unlike in a court of law, foreigners wishing to enter the U.S. should not be presumed innocent.

Moreover, denial of the privilege to come to the U.S. is not reviewable, and it can be made unilaterally by State. Yet it is State who pushes to issue visas to those who raise red flags, but don't quite belong on the terrorist watchlist."

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"Any probable cause of terrorist connections needs to result in visa denials and revocations unless the evidence can be disproved or reasonably deemed illegitimate. Even when we have no specific information, as was the case with most of the Sept. 11 terrorists, State should enforce the visa laws as strictly with young Muslim men from known terrorist hotspots as it does with poor (or even middle-class) Filipinos.

But for State to enforce existing law and err on the side of security, the department must undergo a complete about-face from its current operating procedures. If Mr. Obama is as serious as he purports to be, however, he must demand nothing less."

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Joel Mowbray is an investigative journalist living in New York City.

NSN - Put Homeland Security in charge of issuing visas

From my archive of press clippings:

The North Star National

Put Homeland Security in charge of issuing visas


January 10th, 2010

Gregory D. Lee

On December 30, 2009, I was a guest on a Monterey, California radio talk show discussing the events leading to the Christmas Day capture of a Nigerian national who attempted to detonate a bomb aboard a Detroit bound U.S. airliner.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"I reasoned that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent with real world experience would do a better job of screening foreign nationals who never intend to return home or have ill will towards the U.S."

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"(I)t’s time the State Department get out of the visa business since it is incapable of just saying “no!”

A U.S. visa is not a guarantee of entry into the United States. Immigration authorities still have the ability to deny entry and send the traveler back to his home country. Someone with an ICE-scrutinized visa would stand a much better chance of entering the country. Giving ICE total responsibility for visas and immigration eliminates an entire layer of government bureaucracy and increases accountability.

Half of all illegal immigrants in the U.S. are “visa overstays.” Most of these people are not Mexican nationals. They come from all over the world to take advantage of the economic opportunities this country has to offer without bothering to apply for a work visa or permanent residence status. All these people receive pay under the counter or use stolen Social Security numbers to avoid detection. Some marry U.S. citizens and seek legal status by playing on the sympathy of others.

An ICE agent with immigration enforcement experience would do a superior job of screening these people compared to a newly hired, recent college grad foreign service officer who thinks the entire world is entitled to a U.S. visa. ICE agents would have instant access to their own databases and those of other law enforcement agencies to check the names of visa applicants. The next time a father visits a U.S. embassy to report that his radicalized Muslim son has a valid U.S. visa and recently visited Yemen, an ICE agent could immediately enter the person’s name on the no-fly and terrorism watch lists. He wouldn’t have to write endless cables to Washington to seek permission. He could cancel the visa on the spot and share the information with the airlines, CIA, Interpol and the FBI. These are things the State Department hesitates to do. It has a culture that firmly believes law enforcement and diplomacy don’t mix, and I agree."

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Gregory D. Lee is a syndicated columnist for The North Star National. You can reach him through his website: www.gregorydlee.com

TDN - Passport office opens in Detroit ahead of new ID requirements. Officials tout quicker application processing with outlet in Michigan.

The Detroit News

Passport office opens in Detroit ahead of new ID requirements. Officials tout quicker application processing with outlet in Michigan.


Monday, March 16, 2009


Tanveer Ali / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- The U.S. State Department is opening a passport office today in advance of new identification requirements that take effect June 1.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The Detroit Passport Agency, 211 W. Fort, on the second floor, is one of four new locations across the country.

On June 1, Americans will be required to have passports or similar documents when returning to the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda."

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"The U.S. State Department is offering a passport card to be used as a stand-in for a passport book. In October, plans for an enhanced driver's license were approved, providing Michigan residents who are U.S. citizens a cheaper alternative to a passport. The IDs are expected to be available by the end of spring."